Roller follower bodies are known in the art and are used in camshaft internal combustion engines. Roller follower bodies open and close valves that regulate fuel and air intake. As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,009 to Brothers, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, valve lifters are typically fabricated through machining. Col. 8, 11, 1-3. However, machining is inefficient, resulting in increased labor and decreased production.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,039 to Church, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, a roller follower is disclosed Col. 4, 11, 33-36. However, U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,039 to Church docs not disclose the fabrication of such a roller follower and does not disclose fabricating a roller follower through forging.
The present invention is directed to overcoming this and other disadvantages inherent in prior-art roller followers.